Chalk Talk

By Anthony Berthiaume

Superintendent New Lothrop Area Schools

February is a short month, but we have many school and extra-curricular activities taking place. We will be hosting kindergarten sixth Parent/Teacher Conferences, Thursday, Feb. 15 from 4 – 7 p.m. The High School’s Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place Thursday, Feb. 22 from 4 – 7 p.m. As I have mentioned before, this is a great opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss your child’s progress thus far in the school year. A special note: Friday, Feb. 16 we have staff professional development; students will not have school. Also, Monday, Feb. 19, students and staff have the day off to observe Presidents’ Day.

Another important event of note is the elementary annual Valentine’s Day parties that will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The doors open at 1:15 p.m. and classroom parties start at 1:30 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity for parents to visit their child’s classroom and mingle with other parents as well as involve themselves in the classroom party.

As a district staff, we believe that it is imperative to have our students experience learning activities outside of the classroom. Our staff and students do an outstanding job with the numerous events that extend beyond the classroom. Below are a few of the activities and events that highlight that belief including Frankenmuth Snowfest and the FFA leadership contests.

On Jan. 25 and 26, a team of New Lothrop students competed in the 27th Annual Snow Carving Competition sponsored by Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth. Led by Elizabeth Wickerham, our Jr./Sr. high school art teacher, the students who participated were Chad Andres, Zane Taylor, Aleya Olk, and Katherine Muron. The team did an outstanding job competing against other high school teams. The sculpture they created was a Yeti; it was truly amazing to see their artistic ability and teamwork in action.

FFA contest season has arrived. On Feb. 1, John Wyrick, our Agri-Science teacher and FFA advisor, and Charles Henige, FFA junior high advisor, took our New Lothrop Chapter to Lapeer High School to compete in this year’s district leadership contests. The New Lothrop FFA Chapter had 39 students competing in various contests such as Parliamentary Procedure, Greenhand Conduct of Meetings, agricultural issues, job interview, demonstration, public speaking and others. Out of the 39 students who competed, 29 students advanced to regionals. New Lothrop High School will be hosting regional competition on Feb. 15th, starting at 4 p.m. Thank you to all of you who came and supported, judged, and helped our students.

We take great pride in making sure we offer the best education possible to our students in the classroom and with our extra-curricular activities. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. My office phone number is (810) 638- 5091.